COZEN O'CONNOR | The Confidence to Proceed

Emerging Business & Venture Capital

Michael J. Heller
Contact
(215) 665-4141

Overview

Cozen O'Connor’s emerging business and venture capital practice works as a business partner with both emerging businesses and the venture capital and investment firms that finance them. Our skilled team of business lawyers brings together industry experience, entrepreneurial know-how, and a strong network of capital providers to assist emerging businesses develop a strong platform for growth. We provide focused business and legal advice to quickly and pragmatically navigate companies through each phase of business development, from formation, intellectual property protection and capital-raising to mergers and acquisition, initial public offerings and beyond. In addition, because we also represent active angel investor groups and venture capital and private equity groups and funds from all over the country in connection with their fundraising, governance and investment activities, we are able to leverage our knowledge of current market terms and trends, the process and documents involved and these relationships to more efficiently and expeditiously close transactions.

ADDRESSING YOUR NEEDS

Whether you are preparing your business plan, forming an entity, designing and implementing executive compensation and stock incentive plans, protecting your intellectual property, negotiating strategic alliance and/or joint venture agreements, exploring a merger or acquisition, or seeking capital to grow, we can help. Our principal goal is to provide you with a business savvy and practical approach to respond to the myriad of issues facing each stage of development, while recognizing your time and financial constraints. Our client-team approach is designed to be proactive rather than reactive. We strive to learn and understand your business and growth plans so that we can make the appropriate introductions on your behalf to prospective customers, partners, and financial sources. We do more than you would expect from a law firm because we know you demand more.

SERVICES PROVIDED

  • Entity Formation, Corporate Governance and Agreements with Founders

  • Developing and Refining Business Plans

  • Accessing and Securing Financing

  • Executive Compensation and Employee Matters

  • Intellectual Property Protection

  • Licensing Agreements

  • Collaborations, Strategic Alliance and Joint Venture Agreements

  • General Tax, Securities, and other Regulatory Advice

  • Mergers and Acquisitions

  • Initial Public Offerings


OUR EXPERIENCE

Cozen O’Connor’s emerging business and venture capital practice represents entrepreneurial and venture backed companies both in the Mid-Atlantic region and worldwide. Our multidisciplinary practice group has been focused in the emerging business and venture capital arena for approximately 20 years, so we understand the legal and business needs of our entrepreneurial clients and the investors that finance them. In fact, many of our emerging business and venture capital lawyers have business and investing backgrounds and experience so we are able to bring a business savvy and practical approach to our clients.

OUR CLIENTS

On the company side, we represent entrepreneurs in a wide range of industries and sizes from pure start-ups to companies with greater than $100 million in revenues. Representative industries/businesses include:

  • Software and Services

  • Internet

  • Life Sciences

  • Wireless and Telecommunications

  • Retail

  • Energy

  • Automotive and Aviation

  • Healthcare

  • Financial Services

  • Industrial Services and Supplies

  • Manufacturing

  • Sports, Gaming and Entertainment

  • Marketing

  • Real Estate and Construction


On the capital side, we represent angel and seed investors, venture capital funds, private equity funds, subordinated and mezzanine debt funds and secured lenders in all aspects of the investment process, from fund and partnership formation to negotiating and closing financing transactions. We understand the types and terms of securities and legal risks associated with the varying forms of equity and debt financings and, therefore, are able to assist our investor clients in negotiating deal structure regardless of complexity and the number of investor groups involved.